Jelenvaló

Jelenvaló is a Hungarian term that denotes the real, tangible presence of something in the here and now. The word combines jelen, meaning “present,” with való, meaning “real” or “genuine.” In religious and philosophical contexts, jelenvaló is used to discuss how an entity or a transcendent reality becomes perceptible to observers, as opposed to being merely conceptual or absent.

In Catholic theology and Hungarian religious literature, jelenvaló is often associated with the concept of the Real Presence in the Eucharist. The term appears in older or more scholarly Hungarian writings and can be used to describe the sense in which Christ is believed to be truly present in the sacrament. In everyday language, speakers are more likely to use phrases such as “valódi jelenlét” or more explicit formulations, while jelenvaló appears mainly in specialized or historical texts.

Beyond theology, some philosophers and literary critics employ jelenvaló to discuss how ideas, memories, or performed roles manifest themselves in social life or art. In these contexts, the term is used to reflect the admitted or perceived reality of a presence within a given situation, rather than a literal or physical presence.

Overall, jelenvaló remains a specialized term within Hungarian discourse. It is most often encountered in theological and philosophical writing and is less common in contemporary, everyday language. See also Real Presence, Eucharist, and Hungarian religious vocabulary.